Tablets have been discussed many times on the podcast and on the forums. In the listener prediction thread, there was a comment that it was just excitement about something new and would die off. I think that tablet success is actually a combination of a large cultural shift with the right technology at the right time.
The cultural shift that I see is a growing distinction between producers and consumers. (We are all some combination of both. I may produce some code and services but I consume a lot too.) I see a growing shift towards a consumption mentality from a production mentality. Some examples: consumers look for jobs, producers create jobs. Consumers buy food, producers grow food. More and more people spend time reading what others wrote, watching what others created, working in jobs defined by others, and in general disengaging from the creative process. After the IPad was released, in the first discussion on the podcast, Joe got it right. He recognized that Steve got it right. Since then there have been several discussions where Dick says that he doesn't see why he should replace his laptop. I think that a big part of the reason, is that the IPad is a killer consumer device, but a so-so device for a producer. Joe saw the consumer potential, and the appeal for them, while Dick is thinking as a producer, what does it offer. I'm not saying that you can't produce content on an IPad, just that production is no longer much of a priority. The IPad also appeals to producers indirectly through the app store. Producers are salivating in a gold-fever-like frenzy. Big companies see huge potential audiences, and the little guys see lower barriers to entry with bigger rewards than existed with some of the other software business models. I have watched lots of different kids using IPads. It is a thing of beauty, no extra thought required. Four-year-olds can instantly do what they want without any apparent confusion or difficulty. (I think that even my mom could use it.) For the uber-consumer, what more do you need, (besides all of the other Apple devices)? Combined with the appeal to the active producers out there to meet the demand for more and more content, this is no temporary fad. It is on more part of a fundamental shift. I am a bit sad to realize that the consumer computer has forever surpassed the producer computer in most peoples minds. I have begun to take the opportunity to talk to my kids about the consumer/producer divide. We talk about how much they get out of playing 4hrs of video games or watching a movie as opposed to productive pursuits. I try to encourage them to find a balance between the two. I just hope that down the road my kids can be the ones selling content. James J -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
